Truthfully, Daniel Cormier’s progression as a mixed martial artist has been undervalued. Not only is Cormier unbeaten, he’s done it in dominant fashion. Of his nine wins, seven have come via stoppage, with six coming in the first round. No one has yet to even be competitive with him. If he had the same resume in the UFC, he’d be buzzed about as the next big thing, a title challenger waiting in the wings. As it is, he’s done it mostly under the radar.

That might change for good on Saturday night.

His Strikeforce Heavyweight Grand Prix final opponent Josh Barnett has earned a level of stature and respect that would benefit Cormier if he can pull off the win. If he does, it will put a properly unexpected exclamation point on an utterly unpredictable tournament.

When it began in February 2011, Cormier wasn’t even an official entrant. He was an alternate, and not even the first one, as that designation was supposed to go to Shane del Rosario.

But fate stepped in. Zuffa bought Strikeforce, del Rosario was badly injured in a car accident, and Alistair Overeem was cut following an issue with his management.

That left Cormier with a chance to step right into the semifinal, and he blasted his way into the final, knocking out Antonio Silva in a first-round finish last September.

The dominant win put into perspective what a quick study Cormier has been. He came in with a brilliant wrestling resume — two-time Olympian, international star, and collegiate All-American — but has done his best work in the standup department.

Those offensive numbers are outstanding. The most significant ones show that while he finds his target, he doesn’t often take return fire. According to FightMetric, Cormier lands an average of 3.67 strikes per minute, but is only hit .98 times per minute. That is particularly impressive given that at 5-foot-11 and with a 71-inch reach, he is often at a height and reach disadvantage.

That will again be the case against Barnett, who is 6-foot-3 with a 78-inch reach.

Barnett (31-5) is a very well-rounded fighter. While he’s made his bones as a submission artist (he has 17 tapout wins), he’s well versed in striking and wrestling as well, skills that have allowed him the versatility to exploit holes in his opponent’s game at times.

He has a striking accuracy rate of 48 percent, a tick better than Cormier’s. Surprisingly, he’s fared far better on takedowns, 58 percent to 27 percent. And he works well in the 50/50 positions.

But Barnett knows where his bread is buttered. He believes himself to be superior to any opponent on the ground, so he’s usually insistent on putting the fight on the mat at some point. Barnett does that with his own style, favoring a form of Greco-Roman wrestling that is heavily reliant on body locks and trips.

While Cormier was primarily a freestyle wrestler by training, he’s very well schooled in Greco-Roman as well, so Barnett will have his work cut out for him to take the fight down. As mentioned, Barnett has a 58 percent success rate on takedowns, but on the other hand, Cormier has yet to be taken down even a single time in his pro career. That’s a point of pride with him, and so it’s going to take something overwhelming to get him down.

So a lot of this fight hinges upon whether you believe Barnett can take the fight down. If he can’t, then what? One possibility is that Cormier might want to take Barnett down. That though, seems unlikely. Despite his pedigree, he hasn’t featured takedowns as a major part of his offense.

So we might be left with a standup fight, or some semblance of one. I think Barnett will exchange, but also try to work Cormier against the fence and look for positions for the takedown. Cormier, who strikes well from close range, is eventually going to find a way to free himself.

Back in the center of the cage, he’s grown comfortable with his striking. That’s going to happen training at American Kickboxing Academy. While he doesn’t necessarily throw together advanced combinations, he pulls off the basics very well, and he has power. In his last fight over Silva, he also showed he was capable of navigating the distance necessary to land that power. Cormier excels in close distance, and because Barnett likes clinches, that could mean trouble.

This is a close fight. Most lines have it as a pick ‘em bout for good reason. Barnett knows every trick in the book, but Cormier has a world-class skill, the aptitude to learn, and the ability to put what he’s practiced into action. He also has a great training partner in Cain Velasquez, meaning he’s been put through the ringer many times, so he won’t be overwhelmed by anything Barnett does.

If Barnett can get Cormier on his back, he’s capable of finishing. I just don’t see him getting it there or keeping it there for long. If Cormier dictates the location of the fight, he’ll win by landing the more significant strikes. This wacky tournament seems destined to end in some unexpected way, so Cormier by knockout.

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SAN JOSE, Calif. – Mike Kyle couldn’t leave the building fast enough
after hearing Strikeforce CEO Scott Coker’s carefully worded view of the
205-pound division.

“I’m really upset by it,” Kyle said as he stood outside the HP Pavilion
in San Jose, Calif., following Strikeforce’s press conference on
Thursday.

“It makes me really not even want to fight. I don’t feel like
I’m getting nowhere in the sport. All the changes I’ve made in my life
and the things I’m doing, there’s no recognition for it.”

Posted by mmafightfans.com staff

On this breaking news edition of The MMA (After) Hour we spoke to Mark Hunt, who explained why he was forced to pull out of UFC 146. Hunt talked about the injury, having to pull out of a fight due to an injury for the first time in his career and when he expects to return.

Listen to the interview below or download the audio here.

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SAN JOSE, Calif. – MMAjunkie.com is on scene and reporting live from today’s official “Strikeforce: Heavyweight Grand Prix Finale” fighter weigh-ins.

Today’s festivities take place at HP Pavilion in San Jose, Calif., which also hosts Saturday’s Showtime- and Showtime Extreme-televised event.

Join us for live weigh-in results as all fighters hit the scale beginning at approximately 7 p.m. ET (4 p.m. PT).

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Read on for the latest installment in UFC.com’s weekly series of articles on proper nutrition from the biggest names in the UFC…this week, The Voice of The Octagon, Bruce Buffer

You know him as The Voice of the Octagon. The impeccably groomed showman with the volcanic vocal chords who revs up the crowd – and UFC fighters – right before the fists start flying. But what you may not know is that Mr. Bruce Buffer – one half of the First Family of Fight Announcing (along with brother, Michael) – is a lifelong martial artist and professional poker standout who is meticulous in his eating habits. 54 years young, Buffer shares his philosophy on eating well and what he does in the hours leading up to a UFC event to ensure optimal performance and mega-watts on the mic.

Curreri: So, do you believe diet plays a role in you being on top of your announcing game in the Octagon?
Buffer: Yeah, I believe that on a daily basis so I practice that every day. I treat my body like a machine. Just like a fine car, we have to put oil in that car or else it breaks down. The same principle applies to the human body. I look at my body as a machine. Not just a temple – but a machine. So I don’t lag when it comes to my body. I’ve got to be prepared for anything, inside of the Octagon or in my personal life.

Curreri: Tell fans about how you prepare your voice for optimum performance in the hours before a UFC show?
Buffer: I enjoy a good steam at the spa at the hotel because steam is great for the vocal chords. I keep honey at the show, which lubricates my vocal chords. Or Hall’s Mentho-lyptus (lozenges) in case I get a sore throat. I’ve done shows with a 104 temperature, I’ve done shows with just getting off laryngitis, I’ve done shows with severe colds. The bottom line is, I always tell myself ‘I’m not fighting … I can get through this. The show must go on.’ So I can always deliver, no matter how I might feel during the show. My adrenaline kicks in and I can always do a show.

Also, I don’t go out and go screaming and clubbing the night before a show. I want to be fresh before the show. I’m always ready for a show. If I got a (surprise) call from Dana White tonight and he said, ‘Be ready for a show tonight,’ I would be ready. To me, the whole thing behind the phrase, ‘It’s Time!’ … I want to be ready to move and ready to roll every day of my life. That’s just the way I live my life.

Curreri: Talk about your evolution as a martial artist.
Buffer: My dad started teaching me boxing when I was five years old. I started martial arts when I was 12 – I started in judo. Then I earned a black belt in Tang Soo Do. I was always interested in Bruce Lee’s Jeet Kune Do theory, which we all know today to be mixed martial arts. Then I got into kickboxing and Muay Thai. So I’ve been doing Muay Thai my whole life. I never lifted weights until I was about 27 years old. My main source of exercise until then had been a couple of hundred push-ups per day. The only weights I did were arm curls.

My theory on staying healthy is 20 percent exercise, 80 percent nutrition. It’s all in how you eat. I started thinking like that in my mid-20s. I don’t care what you do, or how much you exercise, if you don’t watch how you nourish your body, how you nourish your temple, then all of that is for naught.

Curreri: A day in the dietary life of Bruce Buffer …
Buffer: When I’m home, because I travel a lot on weekends for shows, I will wake about 8:30 (a.m.) and the first thing I will do is have a vegetarian egg white omelet, oatmeal, a cup of coffee and that pretty much gets me going for the day. Breakfast is the most important meal of the day. One of the biggest problems people have is they don’t eat breakfast, and that’s why those crashes happen in the afternoon. So they rely on energy drinks to get them through the rest of the day. The only time I ever drink an energy drink is when I’m at a long poker tournament, when I need a pick-me-up. Otherwise I stay away from energy drinks.

Curreri: How many meals do you eat per day?
Buffer: I try to eat every three or four hours, so about five meals a day. They are not all big meals; portion control is key. In America we are big overeaters and there is a lot of waste in this country. So after I eat breakfast I will work out for two hours. My workouts consist of circuit training, cardio workouts and about a half hour of stretching.

When I get back I usually make a nice shake. I make my shakes with protein powder, water, I put a lot of blueberries, which are great for the protein. I also put in vegetables and something for digestion. I have little bars that I buy that are low in sugar, have the perfect amount of protein and a low amount of carbohydrates. Because all of my carbohydrates I consume before 6 o’clock (p.m.).

Curreri: What is your theory on no carbs after 6 p.m.?
Buffer: I eat them early because they help me get a good burst in the morning and I know I’m going to be burning them off. If you eat carbs past 6 or 7 (p.m.) and you are not exercising, then if you eat carbohydrates then your body naturally stores them as fat. So if you want to lose body fat, along with portion control you also need carbohydrate control, too. So most of my carbohydrates are breakfast and lunch.

Curreri: You’re on the road a lot and sometimes you can’t always eat to your own perfection or highest standards. What do you eat when you have to settle for less-than-ideal meals?
Buffer: Well, most every country has a wide variety of food. If it’s kind of hard to eat like I want to eat at hotels … When I travel I take a supply of (supplement) bars with me on the road as a meal replacement. So if I can’t find what I want to eat then I can basically live off those bars. I’ll take at least two bars with me (for every day on the road). So if I’m leaving for a four-day trip, like in Brazil or the U.K., I’ll bring at least 8 to bars with me.

If I have to order something from the hotel, the safest thing for me to order is the club sandwich. I like that they put eggs on them. But I change the bread to wheat bread and tell them that instead of three pieces to give me two pieces. And most places I go to I can always have a breakfast omelet. And breakfast is my favorite meal. I could literally eat breakfast every meal of the day.

Curreri: Does your eating ritual change on the day of a UFC event?
Buffer: Absolutely. Usually on the day of a UFC, I like to sleep in that day so I’ll have extra energy coming out. Sometimes I’ll fly in (to the host city) the morning of the event or the night before. I make sure that I have a good meal before I leave for the arena. Typically I might have chicken and vegetables, or a turkey sandwich and some fruit.

I might also eat from the media buffet right beforehand for extra carbohydrates. Because even though I am not fighting or running around like crazy, for a UFC I’m at the event for six to eight hours at a time and I like to have energy when I work. So I carb up before a show.

Curreri: Speaking of ‘your life,’ you are working on an autobiography. When will it be available?
Buffer: Yeah, Random House publishing is working on it right now. The working title, of course, is “It’s Time.” And I hope that’s the finished title. It is due to be released approximately April 2013.

Curreri: Give fans a perspective or benchmark of some of your physical feats, at 54, that might impress some folks.
Buffer: I can easily bang out 75 pushups, no problem. My cardio level is very high. It’s just that your body can’t take the punishment it used to take. Maybe after a long surf session I’m a little sorer than I used to be, but still, I can handle it. You know, I just had my ACL replaced and I stayed in shape the whole time. I’m nine months into (healing) and now I’m going to start getting in the water and start surfing the way I like to surf.

Curreri: Will we ever see you do the ‘360’ again inside the Octagon on the new knee?
Buffer: The 360 is retired. Oh, but here’s another thing: I did the 360 when I was 52 years old. I’d like to see someone else get out there and do one of those at 52 years old.

Curreri: Now, you didn’t tear your ACL doing the 360 in the Octagon, right?
Buffer: No. This will all be detailed in my book, by the way. I blew my ACL at UFC 129, but the full details will be in my book.

Curreri: What are the absolute DON’TS in the Bruce Buffer diet?
Buffer: A real standard rule is to avoid eating anything white: white bread, white pasta, white rice. Usually they are full of starch and carbohydrates that are not good for you. Another key thing is no late-night eating and no carbs after 7 (p.m.) if you can help. That’s because the carbs sit in your body and your body will naturally turn them into fat. Another thing is to eat every three to four hours so that you can speed up your metabolism. Eating big meals is not the way to sustain your body. You want to feed your body with sustained energy throughout the day.  

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When injured Jesus Rivera was forced out of a main-event title fight, Clay Hantz looked to seize an opportunity.

With just a week’s notice, Hantz stepped in to fight Jorge “Macaco ” Patino earlier this month at Legacy Fighting Championship 11.

In the latest installment of HDNet Fights Video Vault – our fight-of-the-week feature – we look back at the title fight, which ended in violent fashion.

Posted by mmafightfans.com staff

Posted by mmafightfans.com staff

“The Last Emperor” is nearing his last days.

Fedor Emelianenko, the Russian heavyweight who UFC president Dana White acknowledges as the only major name that he’s never been able to sign, says he will call it quits following his June 21 fight against Pedro Rizzo.

He made the statement in an interview on Russian language television.

Russian MMA journalist Artem Yalanskiy provided MMA Fighting with a translation of the key exchange of the interview.

“My previous fight was in Moscow and my last fight will be in St. Petersburg on June 21st,” Emelianenko says. “It will be the last fight in my career.”

“Is this your final decision?” the interviewer asks.

“Yes,” Emelianenko says, “I think it’s time to end my career.

Emelianenko said the primary reason for his retirement is to spend more time with his family, but he also mentioned the mounting toll of injuries from a career spent in MMA and sambo.

The quiet 35-year-old has been one of the controversial figures in recent MMA history by those who have argued his place in the sport. Many believe him to be the greatest heavyweight of all time, while others have suggested him to be an overhyped product of favorable matchmaking.

His heyday, which was undeniably during the early-to-mid 2000s, can hardly be questioned. At that time, he was considered by most observers to be the top fighter in the world after beating standouts like Kevin Randleman, Mark Coleman, and most notably, Antonio Rodrigo Nogueria, who was the top heavyweight prior to him.

He also beat Mirko Filipovic during “Cro Cop’s” best days.

By the time PRIDE folded, Emelianenko was the most wanted free agent in MMA, but despite the UFC’s rise, the two sides could never come to terms despite multiple negotiations.

Emelianenko lost only once in his first 33 pro fights, and shortly after Brock Lesnar won his UFC championship, UFC president Dana White went on his last recruiting effort for Emelianenko. If he could have signed him, the fight would have likely taken place at the massive, 80,000-seat Cowboys Stadium in Arlington, Texas and certainly would have headlined a blockbuster pay-per-view, but just like every other time the two sides got in a room, they failed to hammer out a deal.

Instead, Emelianenko and his M-1 management team signed with Strikeforce. He won his first fight there, but in his next time out, was upset by Fabricio Werdum, marking his first loss in nearly 10 years. Losses to Antonio Silva and Dan Henderson marked three in a row for him, and he parted ways with Strikeforce.

Since then, he’s fought twice, beating Jeff Monson and Satoshi Ishii.

His fight with Rizzo is booked, but it appears to be the last time Emelianenko will ever compete as a professional fighter.

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You can watch a live web stream of tonight’s Bellator 69
event live on MMAjunkie.com beginning at 7 p.m. ET (4 p.m.
PT).

The event takes place at L’Auberge du Lac Casino Resort in Lake Charles, La. The event includes the season-six middleweight-tournament finale and a welterweight-tourney semifinal.

Prelim bouts include the likes of Mark Holata vs. Abe Wagner, Booker Arthur vs. Shanon Slack, and Andrey Koreshkov vs. Derrick Krantz.

Posted by mmafightfans.com staff

The odds were not in Daniel Cormier’s favor.

Sure, he had been wrestling since high school but he had only made his professional mixed martial arts (MMA) debut less than two years prior to his Strikeforce heavyweight grand prix semifinal bout against Antonio Silva. This is the same Silva who was coming off an absolute trouncing over potential G.O.A.T. Fedor Emelianenko.

Cormier’s toughest test up to this point was a fight against Jeff Monson, a veteran heavyweight whose best days are definitely behind him. The former OIympian dominated his opponent over the course of three rounds in an impressive but altogether uninspiring affair.

Silva, meanwhile, was undefeated since 2007 aside from a decision loss to Fabricio Wedrum. Wins over Andrei Arlovski and Mike Kyle punctuated a three fight win streak along side the aforementioned technical knockout (TKO) over “The Last Emperor.”

Cormier wasn’t given much of a chance.

It’s a far different story going into tomorrow’s (May 19) Strikeforce: “Barnett vs. Cormier” event where he takes on Josh Barnett to — finally — crown the promotion’s heavyweight grand prix winner.

Despite Barnett’s experience, Cormier is seen by many as the favorite. Perhaps it’s because of how well he performed against “Bigfoot.”

Let’s take a closer look at that bout.

The Brazilian takes the center of the cage to start off the bout while the American is forced to stay on the outside and work his way in. Silva connects with a leg kick and catches the one Cormier throws in response. “Bigfoot” rushes his unbalanced opponent but fails to land anything solid before smothering Cormier along the cage.

The Olympian immediately shoves his opponent off and makes his way back to the center of Strikeforce’s hexagon. Seconds later, his right fist flies through the air as if it’s done this a million times before, betraying Cormier’s inexperience, and connects flush with Silva’s chin.

The massive Brazilian crumbles to the mat as the Cincinnati, OH crowd roars in approval. Cormier follows him to the canvas, standing over his opponent to deliver devastating ground and pound. Although staggered, “Bigfoot” recovers quickly enough to avoid more damage and the two heavyweights fight to a standstill, forcing the referee to restart the action on the feet.

Silva begins throwing one-two combinations out but none connect. Meanwhile, a sneaky jab from Cormier finds its home right on the Brazilians’ nose and he’s momentarily — but visibly — rocked by the punch. Cormier dodges another punch from Silva and answers back with a fast three-punch combination, the last strike of which again staggers “Bigfoot.”

Before our very eyes, a heavyweight star is being born.

The Brazilian eats a hook to the jaw and laughably attempts to take down the Olympic-level wrestler. Cormier easily stuffs the takedown and winds up on top of his opponent before allowing Silva back to his feet.

There, Silva lands a body kick on his smaller opponent, but his leg is caught by Cormier and “Bigfoot” is then tripped, ending up on the canvas for the third time in as many minutes. He spends some time chipping away at the Brazilians’s thighs until the referee once again restarts the bout.

Once the two heavyweights get back to their feet, “Bigfoot” is much more aggressive than he’s been so far in the bout. And it ends up costing him the fight.

He pressures Cormier along the cage, throwing punch after punch, none of which land. In fact, the wrestler smiles after the barrage, either out of disbelief none of the strikes landed or out of a bit of cockiness. Perhaps a bit of both.

Another body kick from Silva is caught and he throws a punch before spinning around to free his lower limb. When he is once again facing his opponent, however, Cormier is there to greet him with a combination of punches. They separate and the American lands a stiff jab and then a short hook before going inside with a vicious uppercut.

Silva’s knees immediately buckle and falls to the mat for the fourth and final time. Two hammerfists across his jaw are the cherries on top. The wrestler had outstruck the heavy-handed Brazilian and secured a date in the grand prix finals.

Cormier surprised everyone — except perhaps himself and his training partners — that night.

If he beats Barnett tomorrow, will it be as shocking?

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Team Cruz’s Vinc Pichel and Team Faber’s Al Iaquinta have reached the semifinals for this season of TUF: Live.

In the two quarterfinal bouts tonight, Vinc Pichel managed to overcome a game but counterfighting Chris Saunders from Team Faber. Pichel opened hard with an inside leg kick and took center of the Octagon. Pichel, however, punched his way in to a takedown attempt, but couldn’t get it. Again Pichel drove forward with punches and attempted a single, but couldn’t get it. Pichel threw strikes and switched to a double and secured it, but not before Saunders hit an outside switch and reversed it as the round ended.

In the second frame, Pichael started to take over and scored a solid double. With less than a minute left, Saunders took Pichel’s back in another scramble, but with only one hook and loses it. Pichel fired and landed at close range at the end of the second round. It was enough to take the fight, earning a majority decision on the judges score cards 20-28, 20-28, 19-19.

In the other quarterfinal bout of the evening, Team Faber’s Al Iaquinta easily dispatched with fellow teammate Andy Ogle. Iaquinta Took take center of the cage right from the start. Ogle’s right eye appeared to be bothering him immensely, either from an eye poke or contact, but he fought on. Late into the first frame the Brit gets dropped and was immediately in bad shape. He fought through and even attempts to rebound to his feet, but ate an elbow which sent him crashing to the mat. Referee Herb Dean stopped the action at 4:44 of round one.

Pichel will now face Al Iaquinta in semifinal action. In the other semifinal bout, James Vick will face Mike Chiesa.

“We’ve spared the whole time here,” Iaquinta said of facing his teammate Ogle. “I’m ready to go, let’s do it.”

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Urijah Faber has his opponent for UFC 148′s co-headliner and interim-bantamweight-title fight.

During tonight’s new episode of “The Ultimate Fighter: Live,” UFC president Dana White confirmed surging 135-pound contender Renan Barao has gotten the slot.

The fight was booked after reigning champion Dominick Cruz was forced out of a rubber match with Faber following a recent ACL injury.

Posted by mmafightfans.com staff

Posted by mmafightfans.com staff

Top bantamweight contender Renan Barao will face Urijah Faber in place of UFC bantamweight champion Dominick Cruz at UFC 148. The announcement was made by UFC President Dana White on Friday’s episode of The Ultimate Fighter (TUF): Live on FX.

Cruz tore his ACL in training during filming of this season of The Ultimate Fighter, forcing him to withdraw from his rubber match with rival and fellow coach Faber. There is currently no clear timeline on Cruz’s return to professional mixed martial arts competition.

Barao was originally scheduled to face Ivan Menjivar at UFC 148. There is no word yet on who Menjivar will face in Barao’s absence. Faber and Barao will fight for the UFC interim bantamweight title.

Barao, 25, most recently defeated bantamweight stalwart Scott Jorgensen by unanimous decision. That performance was preceded by a higlhight reel effort against Brad Pickett at UFC 138.

Faber, 33, most recently faced and defeated Brian Bowles at UFC 139. The Sacramento native defeated Bowles by guillotine choke at UFC 139.

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Fifteen months after it blasted out of the gate with an impressive array of talent, the Strikeforce heavyweight grand prix is nearly at an end.

And while a number of circumstances outside the cage have robbed the competition of much luster, the finals promise an exciting clash between two of the best big men outside the UFC.

The winner, of course, takes one step closer to that promotion. Before that, the Strikeforce heavyweight grand prix title serves as the final belt handed out before the Zuffa sister promotion shutters its big-man division completely.

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